The tragic fate of the nuns of the Carmelite convent at Copiègne during the French Revolution inspired one of Francis Poulenc’s most personal works, and one of the most profoundly moving operas in the repertoire. At its center is Isabel Leonard as Blanche de la Force, a shy young aristocratic woman who joins the order on the eve of the Revolution, flees when the sisters, forced to leave their convent, take a vow of martyrdom, and is finally reunited with them as they face death by the guillotine. Felicity Palmer is Madame de Croissy, Patricia Racette is Madame Lidoine, and Elizabeth Bishop is Mother Marie. Paul Appleby and David Pittsinger co-star as Blanche’s brother and father.